Free electrical estimate template

What goes on an electrical estimate

An electrical estimate needs the code behind the scope, permit fees on a line of their own, whether walls are opened and patched, and what the existing wiring may add. Those are the lines this template adds to the scope, materials, timeline, labor and terms any estimate has (explained in what a service estimate needs), and each is explained below in the order it appears on the estimate.

1. 1

   Panel, rewire and charger, as ranges

   ProjectsPrice range

   Whole-house rewire

   Replace knob-and-tube with Romex — 3-bed home, new outlets, switches, and panel

   Low to high depends on the condition of the existing wiring

   $8,000–$15,000

   Give each project its own line and a range. The electrical sample quotes a 100A-to-200A panel upgrade at $2,500–$4,000, a knob-and-tube rewire of a 3-bed home at $8,000–$15,000, and a Level 2 EV charger on its own 240V/50A circuit at $800–$1,500. The rewire’s top figure is almost twice its bottom one, because it rests on the condition of wiring nobody has seen yet.

2. 2

   The code behind the scope

   Code requirements

   Write down the code requirement that drives the scope. When a GFCI outlet, a dedicated circuit or a bigger panel is on the estimate because code calls for it, saying so explains a line the customer might otherwise question, and shows it is not an upsell. The sample leaves “Code requirements” under the projects for the rule and its section number.

3. 3

   Permit and inspection fees, on their own line

   Permit & inspection fees$

   Put permit and inspection fees on a line of their own, with their own amount, instead of folding them into labor. The panel upgrade on this sample includes a permit; showing the fee apart lets the customer see what is your work and what is the city’s charge. The sample leaves “Permit & inspection fees $ ____” to fill in.

4. 4

   Labor apart from materials

   Also quoted · a separate job

   Office circuit and bathroom GFCI outlets

   Labor$632.50

   Materials$119.00

   This job$751.50

   Work you can see and count is priced line by line, with labor listed apart from materials, so the customer sees what each costs. The second job on this sample is itemized that way — office circuit and bathroom GFCI outlets: $632.50 of labor and $119.00 of materials, $751.50 in all. It is quoted apart from the projects above, so its total is its own, not theirs.

5. 5

   Opening walls, and patching after

   5.Opening walls: Yes No Patching and painting included: Yes No

   Say whether the work means opening walls, and whether patching and painting are included. A new circuit or a rewire often runs through drywall, and the customer’s picture of the finished job includes the wall. The sample ticks “Opening walls: Yes” and “Patching and painting included: No”, so the customer knows to plan for a painter.

6. 6

   The existing wiring

   6.The price depends on the condition of the existing wiring.

   Say whether the price depends on the condition of the existing wiring. Old wiring — the knob-and-tube in this sample’s rewire — can hide problems you only find once you start. One sentence in the terms, “The price depends on the condition of the existing wiring”, is why the rewire is priced from $8,000 to $15,000 rather than at a single figure.

7. 7

   The price date, the deposit and the signatures

   2.A 50% deposit is required to schedule the work.

   Deposit received $ on

   Customer signature & date

   Contractor signature & date

   Copper and part prices move, so the electrical sample’s first term holds the price for thirty days. Half books the work — $375.75 of the $751.50 circuit and GFCI job — and the two terms about walls and wiring sit just above the signatures, so who patches the drywall and what old wiring may add are both settled, and signed for, before the first cut.